Dodge Ball
by JoojooBrother
Summary: Danny really needs to boost his gym mark, and an interesting game of Dodge ball might just give him that chance... but will someone make the connection between Danny's new athletic skill and Danny Phantom? Ignores PP, Danny is 15. Two-Shot.
1. Decision

"Ouch!"

Danny Fenton, one of Casper High's Invisibles, was shoved quite painfully into his locker. He was at least a head shorter than every other male in his year (which he was quite paranoid about, what if it had something to do with the portal accident?), which made him an automatic target to those who picked on the weak and defenseless. Which explained his current predicament. It was almost tradition for one of the jocks to shove him into something in the locker room by now, a tradition Danny had loathed since he started in Casper High as a freshman.

But Danny was far from defenseless. Dash Baxter may have been taller than him by far and at least twice his width, but the blonde had never been in a real fight. He would probably never understand how to use small size as an advantage, or how winning is not always about strength, but agility and precision. Dash was able to pick on Danny easily since even before they entered high school, but midway into their freshman year, unbeknownst to him, he could no longer actually hurt his favorite victim.

It was Irony, Danny thought, with a capital "I". For over a year he had the ability to repay his least favorite tormenter tenfold, yet he couldn't. If he dared to show even an ounce of his true power, his greatest secret would be in jeopardy. Someone might make the connection between Invisible Danny Fenton and Quite-Famous Danny Phantom.

One year and two months had passed since the day when Danny Fenton could fight back. He'd gained ghostly power, in exchange for the responsibility of fighting off every evil ghost that went after him or Amity Park. Danny was stuck somewhere between life and death, and was still very much afraid of being rejected from the human world should they ever find out his secret.

There had definitely been close calls. Danny was very lucky that his parents hadn't figured him out the first few months when he still had trouble falling through floors and turning randomly invisible. He was very lucky that the only person to ever see him transform (besides his best friends Sam and Tucker, who were in on the secret from the beginning) was Jazz, his sister who chose to keep his secret safe. Danny's entire career of fighting ghosts was based on luck, good and bad.

So Dash could never really hurt Danny anymore. In fact, the only reason for Danny's outburst of pain was because he had obtained a very nasty bruise on his shoulder from his archrival, Plasmius, just two days previous.

Another rather negative side effect of Danny's secret was his grades. Ghost hunting took up time, and most spooks weren't exactly courteous about when they decided to show up. They hadn't been nearly as much of an issue in freshman year, since Grade Nine classes did not actually count toward his graduation credits and his teachers took pity on him. However, now Danny was a sophomore, so teachers could not be so lenient. He needed to pass desperately, but late nights of Ghost Patrol meant later nights of homework, which meant he was barely scraping by. This included his current class, Wellness 10.

The class was having a game period today, since their teacher Ms. Tetslaf (he refused to call her Mrs. because he refused to believe she was married) decided to give them a break after a grueling fitness test. Which she had just marked. She wasn't happy.

"Class!" she boomed. Everyone gathered around her, slightly winded from their warm up laps. This year the gym classes were separated by gender, so Danny was without Sam, and Tucker had been very ill today (which had nothing at all do to with the fitness test, Danny was sure.), so Danny was forced to stand awkwardly alone, as far away from Dash as possible.

"You're all a disgrace!" she yelled to the wary students, who had already experienced her temper from freshman year, "Only two of you," a nod to Dash and Kwan, "managed to pull even a pass from the first fitness test this year—"

"—And this!" she concluded dramatically, holding up her marking sheet, "is no improvement!"

"I know most of you are just a bunch of lazy layabouts," she continued in her masculine voice, "but I don't want to deal with you for another year after this! So today, we're going to do something special," and now a terrifying grin appeared on her face. A couple of band nerds backed away fearfully.

"Dodge ball!" she roared. Unable to help himself, Dash snorted.

"You may think it's funny Mr. Baxter, but your _mark_ depends on this game," a startled look appeared on the jock's face, "for every hit you take, you will lose three marks and be forced to do a lap around the gym, and when you hit your opponent, you will gain four marks," she glared, "no one should be incapable of this, since the only reason you have all been failing is from lack of effort!"

This may have inspired another class to try harder, but this class just looked more defeated. With the exception of Dash and Kwan, the entire class was made of band nerds and techno geeks (and Danny). None of them were physically capable of keeping up with the jock standard that had been established from the first fitness test, and all were now thinking of how low their marks would sink after they completely _failed_ Ms. Tetslaf's expectations.

To Danny however, this was an unexpected rose. All he had to do was dodge soft balls flying less then half the speed of the average ecto-blast, and land a few hits on some nerds who were more stationary than Technus on one of his rambling spiels. This rose had thorns however, he realized, since showing any sort of physical prowess was a sure-fire way to get discovered. Despite the alarm bells ringing in the back of his head, Danny knew he had to take the risk. He _really_ needed this credit.

Dash and Kwan were made team captains of course, since putting them on the same team was too unfair for even Ms. Tetslaf to consider. Kwan unexpectedly picked Danny first, but based on the looks the two jocks shared they were only picking losers for the other to slaughter, and Danny had always been Dash's property. '_Typical,'_ thought Danny.

The game commenced. Kwan, without his favorite target (Tucker), just began picking off nerds on Dash's side with carefully aimed throws to the head. This was, of course, an illegal move, but he knew that if he forced one of them out then they would spend the next ten minutes walking around the gym at a crawling pace, and he would be left without a target. Ms. Tetslaf was easily avoided with an obvious excuse ("I'm _sorry_ Ms. Tetslaf, but they're just so _small_.") that she either bought or didn't care either way.

Dash had an entirely different tactic. He was quick to pick off every person on Kwan's team except for its captain and, of course, Danny. Most victims just sighed dejectedly and started their slow march around the game space. Danny hadn't realized this, since he was busy picking off players properly a good distance away from Dash.

'_Alright Fenton, take it slow,_' he told himself, concentrating, '_They're not ghosts, no need to go all out,'_ and as gently as he could, he threw a ball, which quickly slammed into Nathan's stomach, knocking him over. Danny winced, and Nathan stared at him incredulously. Fortunately for Danny, Nathan seemed to chock it up as a fluke, and went to start his lap, still rubbing his bruised stomach.

Despite being unprepared, Danny still heard the whistle of a ball flying closer and closer to his head, and managed to duck, the fastball scraping his hair before nailing one of the kids doing laps. He was barely able to stop himself from thrusting out his arm to shoot an ecto-blast back to the source of the attack, which was one Dash Baxter. Dash had prepared for a fluke dodge, however, and was already throwing his second projectile.

Danny dodged again. And again. Dash wasn't quarterback on the senior football team for nothing, so Danny's skillful dodges were getting attention. The jock pulled a double throw, making Danny dodge his slower left-handed throw then trying to nail him with his right since the shorter boy shouldn't have been able to stop his momentum in time to dodge again. Danny knew this, he could see the ball coming as if in slow motion, and he knew he couldn't dodge it without using supernatural speed.

So he caught it.

Dash was out.

A nervous sweat broke out on Danny's brow at his close call, but he knew he was in for it now. Dash's shocked face quickly turned into one of rage as he quickly began to sprint his lap. Danny knew he didn't have long, so he took out a couple more shell-shocked geeks he knew liked playing Magic cards and was able to grab another ball before Dash was back, barely winded. By then a few of the first boys hit were back, but they were doing nothing but staring at Dash's angry face and Danny's nervous one, which made them perfect shields for Danny and useless to Dash.

Danny was worried. Dash wouldn't stop until he dealt Danny a good finishing blow, which needed to be avoided if Danny wanted to improve his mark. One wrong move, one dodge or throw that seemed a little too not human, and Danny could bet that Tetslaf would phone his parents who would get a medical examination, and doctors with needles would take blood, and—

That couldn't happen. He refused to let it happen. So he lay back, ducking behind other kids and occasionally trying to take out someone on the opposite side other than Dash, since the first time he got Dash out ended in suspicion from his peers. He thanked whoever was watching, Clockwork probably, that this was an all-boys class (Except for Tetslaf, he wasn't sure about her gender yet.). If Valerie were there she would have been on to him like the Box Ghost on cardboard.

"Nerds!" raged Dash to the twelve or so kids standing throughout his side of the gym. They all started when he yelled at them, as if they were surprised to be talked to, "Grab a ball, all of you!"

They all complied, knowing defiance meant a beating after school behind the dumpsters, especially with the uncontrolled rage showing on Dash's face. A few of them stared at the balls in their hands like they never held one before. Most stared at Dash, wondering what he was doing. Dash had picked up two balls himself.

"Alright, on three you're all going to throw a ball at Fenturd at the same time, got it?" he snapped. There were a few nods, but most just looked nervously across the gym at Danny, who was alone now except for Kwan, who had taken to kicking balls across the gym so Dash could have them instead of Danny.

"Okay! One…"

Danny knew what was coming when he saw all of his opponents raise their projectiles as one. The only ones left on his side of the gym were himself and Kwa—oh wait, just him. Kwan had started a lap around the gym in a stroll, grinning at the soon-to-be victim.

"Two…"

Conveniently, Kwan had removed himself right after kicking every ball on his side across the gym. Danny grumbled something that sounded like "suffering spooks" before backing up a step. No shields, no balls, nowhere to run.

"Three! Fire!"

They all fired at once. Dash's left-armed throw was still faster than everyone else's, so Danny was able to catch it with an extra second to spare. There was only one thing for it. He jumped.

Gravity and physics have a much different effect on ghosts than humans. Consequently, when a certain half-ghost tried to jump just above the range of projectiles, he ended up higher. A good ten feet higher.

Dash's second emergency fastball was never thrown. He was to busy gaping, like the rest of the class, up at Invisible Danny Fenton who was currently at the top of a record-breaking height. Even Ms. Tetslaf was gaping, her pen dropping from her loose grasp.

When Danny landed with a look of panic in his blue eyes, several things happened at once. Tetslaf's jaw snapped shut and a suspicious glare appeared on her face. The majority of students, starting with Nathan, began to applaud. Only Dash and Kwan remained unchanged, both still sporting a look that resembled a gold fish.

Then the bell rang, and Danny fled, red faced, to the locker room. Invisible Danny Fenton wasn't so Invisible anymore. Inside, he was trying not to panic.

"Get a hold of yourself, Fenton," he mumbled to himself, intangibly reaching for his things since no one else had come in yet, "Your just gonna have to live with it."

His little pep talk to himself seemed to do the trick, and he felt the feeling of panic melt away. People would be more suspicious if he acted like it was unnatural to jump fifteen feet in the air, so he would just have to play it cool. Right. He'd tell everyone that he'd received some ghost training from his parents, and it had made him more agile. Yeah, that might work. Maybe Tetslaf wouldn't call his parents if she thought they knew about it already.

Not a chance in hell, but it was this thought that kept him calm, kept him going. Staying positive was his only defense right now.

And for the first time, he realized as he walked to Mr. Lancer's English class, no one had shoved him against a locker after gym class.

* * *

Done for deadlydaisy8o8 and her challenge fic titled OMG another Challenge!  
Because I felt like it. :D


	2. Change

**Chapter 2**

The first week was great. No really, once Danny got past the awkward looks, and his friend's not-so-stellar reactions.

Sam was pissed. They'd gotten into an argument about it, Sam proclaiming that his secret was more important that showing off in gym class.

"You have a responsibility, Danny," she growled, "You can't risk it over something so trivial!"

"Trivial?" Danny returned, annoyed, "So, what, I can't _actually try_ and get a good mark in a class that I can _actually_ pass?"

"Not if it risks your secret!" Sam was getting louder, "You were way too obvious, especially that thirty foot jump!"

"That was barely fifteen feet!" Danny exclaimed, "No one's made the connection all week, and they're not going to! Besides, why can't I do something for my own benefit sometimes? Why does it always have to be about everyone else?"

Sam looked infuriated. Danny had a suspicion that this argument wasn't just about him almost blowing his cover. As much as he liked Sam, he'd always thought that she wanted him to be unpopular. She liked things that were outcast or different. She'd never purposefully try and bring him down, he figured, but on some level she probably felt threatened.

"That's enough, jeez you'd think you guys were four," Tucker said, annoyed. The greatest part of their trio was that whenever two of them got into an argument, the third would be able to defuse it.

Sam sighed, "I'm just worried about you Danny."

"You don't need to be," he said, reassured that she wasn't mad anymore, "I can take care of myself."

Tucker had his own problems with Danny's sudden immunity to bullying. Despite his friend status with Danny, Tucker was still shoved into lockers and knocked over whenever a jock passed. In short, Tucker was envious.

Tucker would never tell this to Danny, however. The techno geek was always the type to quietly simmer instead of taking it out on his friend. There was always a tension in the air though, and the hybrid would be very relieved when it was gone.

Jazz was actually happy that he was climbing up the social ladder. He really had to appreciate his sister for understanding his point of view, even if she faced it like the psychologist-to-be that she was.

"It's important, Danny," she would say in her best therapist voice, "that you don't let this get to your head. Remember who your friends are."

It was nice, in a way. Her comments often got repetitive, though. Quite a few of them Danny could easily quote, but then again he was used to his overbearing sister.

But the point of the first week's greatness was that Danny was virtually immune. Not once was he shoved into a locker, and even the teachers were treating him nice, compared to before. While the popular kids now just chose to avoid him, he was getting incredibly positive feedback from the other end of the social spectrum.

Every kid that had thrown a ball at him on Dash's orders had walked up to him and literally apologized. Not like they needed to, Danny knew what Dash would have done to them if they hadn't. It was nice, though. Except for Nathan, who asked Danny if the hybrid could get him a date with Valerie. Needless to say, this irritated Danny, as Valerie was a past girlfriend.

"Hey Danny," Mikey approached him, eyes shining in admiration, "Did you get that English essay done for today?"

"Oh crud!" Danny stopped, whacking himself on the forehead. Sam and Tucker stopped a few paces ahead and watched.

"You forgot, didn't you?" Mikey exclaimed, expecting this answer. It was common knowledge that Danny's grades were terrible. Danny wondered why he looked so happy about it, though. Mikey was shifting excitedly and reaching for his bag.

"I can give you mine if you like," he said, pulling out his own essay, "I got an extra title page with your name!"

Danny stared, incredulous, and oblivious to Sam's sudden frown behind him. Was he really that popular? He'd probably never even had a conversation with Mikey, and here the kid was, offering him his homework! Immediately, his head filled with ideas. If he actually tried to become more popular, then maybe he wouldn't have to worry about his grades anymore! Other than Wellness, he was still failing nearly everything. Not to mention his ghost hunting activities made it impossible for him to improve those grades on his own. After all, that's how Dash managed to pass—

And there was the problem. This was how Dash passed. Dash, who bullied almost every kid in the school and got away with it through his popularity and football skills, but Dash beat nerds into doing his homework, and Danny was being offered his. Was there any difference? The hybrid suddenly thought of his arch nemesis, Vlad Masters. Didn't Vlad use his powers to gain fame and fortune? Vlad didn't deserve the admiration he got, and Danny knew that he probably got a lot of free 'benefits' wherever he went. Danny looked at the essay again, hating himself only slightly less than if he would have if he had taken the alternative.

"Nah, Mikey," he said kindly, though he couldn't hide a touch of resentment, "You worked hard on that, you deserve the mark."

He turned around, a bit embarrassed, and walked quickly away, not wanting to see Mikey's face. If he had, he would have seen the blatant hero worship from earlier gain a touch of true respect. Sam and Tucker joined him again, as they walked down the hall in a moment of silence. Sam was the first to speak.

"I'm proud of you, Danny," she said, smiling at him.

"Yeah, good job bro," Tucker added, his smile a bit more of a smirk, "But dude, Lancer's gonna kill you."

"Argh, crap!" was heard quite loudly down the hall, followed by laughter.

The hype died down after a few weeks. Danny was no longer afraid to show off a small amount of physical prowess in the gym, so no one could properly deny the rumors that he was athletically equal, or more so, with Dash. The trouble was, no one could seem to decide upon the actual events of the story. The two jocks that had been there refused to tell their version, yet didn't deny any other story. People began to notice that they often shot furtive glances at Danny in the classes they shared. This could be explained by some of the rumors that Danny had actually beaten them up on that mysterious day.

Tucker was the one to notice how fortunate this was. Not only did those rumors stop Dash and Kwan from actually wailing on Danny (they were afraid that he would actually _make_ the rumors true), but also those and the rest of the crazy rumors were a great cover up in case someone did make the connection between Fenton and Phantom. Who would believe such a crazy idea when no one seemed to know exactly how high the kid had jumped? Some people, like Paulina, thought Danny had gotten lucky and tripped.

The only negative change, in Danny's eyes, was that he suddenly seemed to have gained a second shadow. A third, and a fourth as well trailed after him occasionally. Mikey was always on his tail, seemingly content to do nothing but look at him. Sometimes other nerds and geeks would be trailing along behind him at a short distance. Danny figured the reason for this was because Dash was avoiding him like the plague, and a few of the blonde's favorite targets sought protection. It made it difficult at lunch and between classes for him to run off and 'go ghost' when that familiar blue mist escaped his mouth.

Danny smiled. For the first time in his life, high school didn't suck. He wasn't sure how long this change would last, but he would just have to take it as it came.

**Fin.**

'Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights.' ~Pauline R. Kezer

* * *

Hey guys, this was intended to be a one-shot, but I got a lot of feedback, and squeezed out a bit more. But this is it for this one.  
I might get complaints on how I portray Sam. I don't hate her, but I don't think she's a perfect friend. It's actually pretty pro that the writers for the series gave her flaws, like her need to control Danny. She's often his moral compass, but sometimes what she thinks is best isn't best for him. In Phantom Planet, she wasn't thinking about how Danny was safer and happier as a full human, she was thinking about how he was giving up a responsibility that he never had to have in the first place.

Thank you to everyone that reviewed the last chapter. It feels great to get such positive feedback.


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